In The Car With Itachi
by Frosty Pig
Summary: AU. NaruSasu. Picking his little brother up from school, Itachi learns a few new things about his Sasuke while insulting his competence.


**In The Car With Itachi  
-.-**

_Disclaimer: I do Not own Naruto._

Itachi didn't have to look at the clock for a third time to know that Sasuke was late.

His little, small-minded brother was never late. If anything he was a walking stopwatch, managing to get anywhere at precisely the correct time. Being a minute late was ludicrous for his brother.

But being an entire nine minutes and forty-three seconds late was just… uncharacteristic to the point of lunacy for Sasuke.

The school was still thriving with the sounds of yelling-noisy students departing from their first day back; and though Itachi peered—glared through the passenger window he could not see his little brother.

Where was his time-sensitive Sasuke?

He wouldn't look at the clock again even though the green digital light was burning into his peripheral vision. Begging him to just check _one more time_. He refused—

The door clicked open, his inconsiderate brother plopped down onto the hand-stitched seat.

Eleven minutes and seven seconds late…

Quickly he turned the key to the car, the engine purred as he pulled the clutch into drive.

"I'm so glad to see you joining me, dear brother. Perhaps you were busy—" Itachi glanced quickly to Sasuke, the boy was turned completely towards the window. His big-brother-sense tingled.

"Look at me, Sasuke."

Itachi grabbed him by the chin when he was ignored, yanking his face so he could see him clearly.

"Will you give me some warning before you do that!" Sasuke hissed, jerking his head back too hard and hitting the window. He yelped, grabbing the back of his head; Itachi wondered what had gotten into his usually collected brother.

Besides the obvious blue and purple bruise that surrounded his right eye…

"This look is certainly not attractive on you. Not at all, in fact it brings out your feminine cheek bone structure…"

Sasuke ignored him, turning in his seat to face the window again.

"Now, now. Don't be like that my little-Sasuke-chan… Is this why you were late?"

"No."

"Were you picked on? The transfer to High school from Junior High can be a very difficult—"

"_No_."

Scratching at his chin in a pondering motion, Itachi guessed again

"A fight?"

Sasuke remained silent, and Itachi was sure his eyebrows were twitching. Such an easily angered brother he had.

"A fight then it is," Sasuke's silence was his undeniable 'yes'; "I'm hoping the one you battled against looks worse then you? Which would have to be some feat…"

"I didn't _battle_ against anyone." Sasuke managed to say in between long, painstaking sighs.

Itachi stayed quiet, staring at the car next to him. The woman seemed to be scratching a very private place with much motivation.

"…_He_ started it, I just did the only _right_ thing,"Here he took a breath, "I shoved my fist into his face." Sasuke was usually able to tell his misfortunes if he was left with some space to talk. Itachi learned this very early on. Even before Sasuke could form sentences.

"Oh? And who is this '_He_' that has gotten you all hot and bothered?"

"_Uzumaki_." Sasuke grounded out, his teeth bared like some sort of animal. Again not an attractive look for his little brother.

"I hope you got in a good hit then."

"Broke his nose."

"Then let's go get you some ice, don't want your face to get any more disfigured."

-.-

Itachi was an accepting person. He accepted it when his brother, through the ages of five and six, would _only_ wear frilly clothing. Dresses to be exact. He accepted that his father would be estranged from him and Sasuke for the rest of his time on Earth.

And now, Itachi accepted that his brother was a late person, someone more frivolous with minutes. This meant his little brother was becoming more relaxed, which was good.

Sasuke did have a tendency to be a bit… prissy.

With his newfound free time, Itachi began to think of things, new things.

"Perhaps a cat?" He said to himself. A pet could make Sasuke more sociable and enduring to others.

The passenger door quickly opened before being slammed shut.

Before starting the car, Itachi looked over Sasuke. His bruise was fading over the past weeks, and Itachi could now see his little brother's right pupil that had been hidden underneath oh-so-perfectly puffy skin.

Sasuke, though, looked strangely bouncy, happy perhaps?

"What has gotten into you today?" He asked lightly, because it was odd to see him so bright, even though his expression was deadpanned as usual. But the air around him was… pleasant.

"The _idiot_ tripped and fell on his face today in track." An early present from the Gods directly to Sasuke's heart, apparently.

The 'idiot' being one Uzumaki, a conversation starter if there ever was one.

"Did you aid him after his fall?" Surely his brother could not take so much pleasure in something so simple?

"Why would I help that numbskull?" Sasuke snorted. A smile stitched beneath his scowl.

Itachi then accepted that his brother was, sadly, a simpleton.

-.-

'_Uzumaki Naruto.'_

He had seen him a few times while he had been parking and waiting for his dearest brother.

He was a tall, muscular boy. His hair was bright and his skin was dark, he looked like a _yankee_—a delinquent. Unlike Sasuke, Naruto's uniform was always off in some way; unbuttoned, not the right season, and even the wrong color.

But he did seem cheerful. Always wore a smile and was running around.

Itachi could see why Sasuke could be annoyed with him.

No sooner had he parked was Sasuke in the car, his seatbelt already in place. He looked flushed. Itachi quickly slapped his hand to his brother's forehead; he noted that Sasuke did not flinch at his suddenness.

He wasn't warm.

"Do you feel ill?" He asked quietly, starting the car and pulling into the street.

It was a long moment before Sasuke answered, he had zone-out.

"I really do feel like something is wrong with me…" He whispered before closing his eyes.

That did not sound like his little brother was confessing to being sick.

-.-

Though Itachi knew his brother, better than he knew anyone else he has ever met, he refused to feel pity for his brother.

No matter what was wrong with Sasuke.

But he looked flush; he was distant and unresponsive. He wasn't sick Itachi knew that. When Sasuke was ill he had big doe-eyes that begged to be taken care of.

This Sasuke had very bland eyes. And it was different, something Itachi could not remember ever seeing.

So he let Sasuke stay home. One day passed, then two, and then a week had gone by and he was still at home, fidgeting like he was a paranoid-crazy person.

Itachi didn't pity his little brother, but this time he had failed and it had gotten neither him nor Sasuke anywhere. The night before the new week, he knocked on his brother's door, patiently waiting for a reply.

He only received silence.

"Sasuke," He called out knowing he would hear him, "You have nine hours to pull yourself together. I will not let you act like some depressed-woman who's on her cycle. Thank you and good night."

-.-

"So, how is your little friend Naruto-kun doing?" Usually the mention of his 'buddy' would get Sasuke talking nonstop on how unbelievably dumb the boy was. He looked so pleased with himself when he was on one of his rants.

"…He's fine." Sasuke mumbled, looking out the window.

That was… not feisty enough.

"No injuries? No teachers reprimanding him in front of the class? Nothing at all?" That couldn't be true, the boy sounded as clumsy as could be, and as inattentive as a child.

"Do we have to talk about _him_ everyday, for god's sake?" Sasuke was being testy.

"All right…" Itachi trailed off.

They were less than a few blocks away from their home when Itachi decided he should say something.

"Sasuke, I don't know what you're having so much trouble with, though I can imagine it is something in the lines of being 'social' I would like you to either tell me or move on." He looked away from the empty street and straight at Sasuke whose knuckles were becoming bone white.

His little brother said nothing.

"You have a habit of holding grudges… Remember when I sold your collection of dolls?"

"_They were figurines_." Sasuke snapped, glaring at him. Finally some life was back in that stiff body.

"You remember then. You were angry with me for _months_. Glaring at me and ignoring me, even melting crayons in my bed. You need to learn to move on…" Itachi paused, chewing over what to say. He had to decide what would best suit his little brother's problem; a problem he had ideas about but would rather never speak of them.

"Either take a chance," He said slowly, "Or get on with your life."

-.-

Getting a cat, Itachi decided, would be too much trouble. Not to mention the litter box issue on where to place it so it won't smell _too_ disgusting.

And the pests did vomit quite frequently.

Plus the allergies that came along with it and its fur, but he supposed he could always get a hairless little kitten. Maybe even name it something cute like 'Mittens', which would be a bit ironic if it was furless.

Itachi pulled into his regular space in front of the school, eyeing a few of the students.

One that passed by him must have been a foreigner for no Japanese _man_ was that tall; that student was _giant_ like… Itachi wondered what type of people Sasuke talked to.

Were they smart like him? Socially awkward? Maybe a yankee like that Naruto boy appeared to be? Sasuke was never one to bring a friend home, saying that he didn't want his friends to meet his 'creepy-older brother.'

Itachi was not creepy.

He saw Sasuke then walking with the Naruto boy. They looked odd, as if they didn't know what to say to each other. Their pace was slow and idle and the blonde was giving what one would think of as a 'sheepish grin,' embarrassed and happy.

Virgin-lovers, thought Itachi. Awkward and nervous, like it was their first time. The idea made his stomach churn.

Speedily he looked away; he really did not want to ever think of his dear little brother like _that_.

_Never_ like _that_.

-.-

It was the last day before Sasuke's winter break, in which he and Itachi would be celebrating together like they had always been.

Sasuke jumped into the car, throwing his bag onto the back seat. He shimmered with happiness; Itachi could see the glitter and pretty flowers that surrounded him, circling him like a rainbow.

"Are you prepared for our trip to Tokyo?" Itachi asked, feeling lighter himself from Sasuke happy mood.

"Actually…" Sasuke started, staring at his hands that were folded on his lap.

He was pensive, which was never good for Itachi.

"…I want to spend Christmas Eve with a friend." Sasuke asked more than said, and skillfully used his doe-eyes on Itachi.

To be apart on the holiday? He felt hurt at the thought.

His big-brother- sense tingled abruptly.

He remembered that he could use this to his advantage to better know about the company his little brother kept. Not even starting the car, he turned fully to Sasuke, who gave him a look that was equal to 'what the hell?'

"Only if I get to meet this 'friend' of yours." And somewhere in his mind Itachi knew that 'friend' did not mean an actual 'friend.' He wanted to ignore this though.

"But—"

"And—we all spend the evening together." Sasuke stared at him as if he had been physically kicked.

Itachi skipped a beat before asking what he already knew the answer to.

"Is this 'friend' by any chance a certain Naruto-kun?"

His dear brother blushed, and he found it very endearing.

"Well then," he turned the key and the engine purred as he pulled the clutch into drive, "I guess Uzumaki really has gotten _you hot and bothered_."

"You're such an ass, Itachi!" Sasuke whined and shouted at him before ignoring him for the rest of the ride home.

**-.-**

_Hope you enjoyed it, I love Itachi when he is weird and random. Any older brother would tease his younger bro~_


End file.
